With all that's going on in your lives I want your newborn session to be as relaxed, enjoyable and beautiful as possible.

Read on for some tips on how to prepare for your session.

How do we prepare baby for the session?

newborn session FAQs and preparation

01.

I will bring clothes and wraps options for your baby. I recommend to shoot in one outfit (both wrapped and unwrapped) to maximise shooting and settling time.

Aim to finish feeding baby just before our start time. After feeding, try to keep baby upright as much as possible to let any bubbles out and keep them as comfy as they can be. Have baby dressed in just a nappy and you can wrap them on top to keep warm as I will dress and swaddle baby when I arrive.

How do we prepare ourselves and our home?

02.

I have a client wardrobe for Mums and outfit inspiration for Dads!

I usually suggest to try to clear clutter near windows / in the rooms we will be shooting in.

What is the best age for newborn photos?

03.

I usually suggest to shoot when baby is between 10-20 days old. This gives us the best chance of a relaxed session where baby will be mainly asleep and we can get those lovely macro shots. This usually helps the flow of the shoot especially if there are other children involved.

However I know many Mums just don't feel ready that early, and we can shoot any time. The older the baby is the more awake they tend to be.

What to do if your baby doesn't sleep during their newborn session?

05.

I have a tried and tested method and workflow at my newborn shoots which usually results in a sleepy wrapped up baby. BUT things don't always go to plan (despite feeds, rocking and shushing!), and that's ok! Here are some tips if your newborn decides not to sleep:

1. Try not to stress! We will still capture all their beautiful little details and get the bonus of all these additional sweet expressions.

2. Go with the flow. I will guide your session, all you need to do is love on your new baby.

3. Take a pause. Break for cuddles, feeds, whatever you need, as many times as you like during your session

4. Ideally try to schedule your session for when your baby is between 10-20 days old

What if my older child doesn't cooperate or want to get involved?

06.

I sometimes find taking the pressure off them and saying let's just capture parents and baby can coax them to join in the fun in a more natural and less forced way. Try not to worry too much about forcing them, they will 99% of the time join in eventually.

I highly recommend to keep devices away from your little ones before and during the sessions as it's usually a bit of a struggle to get them to put them down. For shooting we won't get those lovely smiles if they are looking at a tv or screen.

Lastly, it can be quite cute and funny to capture the odd sour face on baby's sibling - we are after all taking authentic photos of your family at that moment in time!

Share this story